A sacred nudge
A discernment in faith shared by Sister Marcia Boes, OSF
On the precipice of a big decision, Marcia Boes felt a quiet but undeniable nudge.
At the time, she was working as an elementary school music teacher, yet something deeper stirred within her — a gentle but persistent tug on her heart, drawing her toward religious life. A conversation with a priest was a turning point for her. “After that, I think it became real for me that God was calling me to this,” she says.
But God wasn’t done speaking.
“When I came home, I just had this sense that I should go to the shrine.” Marcia says. It was a place from her childhood, tucked into memory, not visited in years. She couldn’t even recall its name. “I Googled ‘shrine in Bellevue,’ and that’s how I ended up there. I’ve always believed God wanted me to go, or that Our Blessed Mother called me.”
At the Sorrowful Mother Shrine, she entered the quiet chapel alone, embraced by stillness. Kneeling in prayer, she asked the question on her heart: Could it be possible that you are calling me? What followed was a deeply personal encounter with God’s presence — a powerful moment of prayer and peace that gave her the clarity she needed.
Throughout the rest of that summer, Marcia returned often to the shrine, drawing strength from the verse James 4:8: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” Her devotion to Mary deepened as she spent time in quiet reflection and discernment.
Her journey led her to explore different religious communities, eventually bringing her to a “come and see” retreat with the Sisters of St. Francis in Tiffin. Though she had researched many communities, it was a simple presentation on St. Francis and St. Clare that moved her deeply. “It touched my heart in such a profound way,” she says. “I just knew I was being called to the Sisters of St. Francis.”
She became a candidate in 2010, entered the novitiate in 2011, and professed perpetual vows on Oct. 15, 2017.
Today, Sister Marcia serves as a pastoral associate of music and worship at All Saints Parish in New Riegel, Ohio. “I love this ministry,” she says. “I love to meet with couples to pick out their wedding music, and when I work with a family who has lost a loved one, planning their funeral is a sacred time. I think that’s what I love most about this ministry, is that it’s working with people in the joys and sorrows of life.”
She often visits and prays at the shrine, especially in two favorite spots: the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, where she sits with the Blessed Mother, and the Sepulcher, the tomb of Christ. The sacredness of the shrine and the time that Sister spent in prayer, opening her heart and ears to the Blessed Mother and her Son, led her to answer God’s calling. The Sorrowful Mother Shrine was meaningful for her during her discernment and continues to hold a very special place in her heart.
“When I am able to go, it always is good for my heart,” she says. “God is everywhere, but God is especially palpable at the shrine for me.”